Abstract

Whoever likes to keep developing systems with market success needs to be in control of system functions, for example, based on an explicit definition of the system’s functional architecture. However, it is usually the system that is sold and not the artifact that defines its functional architecture.  This calls for a lean and easy way to work with functional architectures.

During this webinar, two practitioners of functional architecture work, Tim Weilkiens and Jesko Lamm, present the approaches they have developed over the years to define and handle functional architectures in a system development context. These approaches are based on the FAS Method, which the presenters published in the year 2010 and improved via several subsequent publications.

In this part I of the webinar, an introduction to the FAS method itself and some supporting analysis methods will be in scope, including:

• The motivation for working with functional architectures.
• A quick introduction to the work with a well-defined system context and use cases as a precondition for the application of the FAS method.
• An extensive description of how to apply the FAS method by refinement of use cases, functional grouping, and identification of the resulting functional blocks.
• A brief deep-dive into the “FAS-as-a-formula” representation of the FAS method, which is one single matrix equation that captures the essence of the method and hence allows for easy automation of the corresponding steps.
• A revisit of the preconditions to show a way to identify the needed use cases based on storyboards of the system’s operational scenarios.

There will also be an outlook into the application of the method in daily work and with available tools to provide a teaser for a later session with part II of this webinar. Part I of the webinar will stay out of detailed discussions about tools and modeling languages. It will use example representations of functional architecture in both informal representations as well as in SysML models to introduce already the different formats one may need for different stakeholder groups or also for different kinds of systems engineering activities.

More information:

• https://www.oose.de/
• https://mbse4u.com/

Take-Away Key Messages

• Use functional architectures to stay in control of the system under development.
• Try the FAS method as an easy approach to derive and explain the functional architecture.
• Some steps in the FAS method can be easily automated if needed.
• Storyboards can be a good means to obtain the input you need for applying the FAS method.

Speaker

Tim Weilkiens is a MBSE'er by passion. He is a MBSE consultant, trainer, author of many books, owner of the publishing company MBSE4U and lecturer of master courses. He is an active member of the Object Management Group. Tim contributed to the original SysML specification and continues to work on SysML. He is currently co-chair of the SysML v2 Finalization Task Force. Tim is involved in many MBSE activities and has authored several books on modeling, including Systems Engineering with SysML (2008, Morgan Kaufmann). He is also the editor of the pragmatic and independent MBSE methodology SYSMOD - the Systems Modeling Toolbox.

Jesko G. Lamm develops modern hearing health technology as a Systems Engineer. He has been an active member of INCOSE for many years. The focus of his contributions is on the Architecture-related work of the German and Swiss INCOSE chapters, where he is the co-author of many conference papers and working group results. He is a Certified Systems Engineer (GfSE)® and holds a Dipl.-Ing. degree from RWTH Aachen University as well as a Dr.-Ing. degree from Leibniz University Hannover.

Registration

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